In a new interview with Clint Switzer of On The Road To Rock, Chris Slade talked about why he isn’t in AC/DC’s 2024 tour.
The drummer was asked if he was disappointed that AC/DC chose Matt Laug over him for their 2024 tour. He responded, referring to Angus Young’s wish for a change:
“No. You know what? Would I have done it, is the next question. I would say yes, I would do it, of course. Angus [Young, AC/DC co-founder and guitarist] probably wanted a change and thought maybe I couldn’t do it.”
Slade clarified that it couldn’t be due to his age:
“I’m the same age as Brian. So, you can’t be ageist and say, ‘Slade’s too old now,’ ’cause [Angus is] a spring chicken himself, you see. He’s only about 69, I think. I’m not quite sure how old he is — 66, 69, something like that. But, yeah, so he couldn’t be ageist on me.”
Slade Wanted To Join AC/DC For Power Up Tour
The musician kept sending messages to AC/DC a few times before, too. When the band announced their Power Up Tour, Slade appeared on Rock Camp: The Podcast and said he would like to rejoin AC/DC for their tour but thought guitarist Angus had doubts about his playing ability:
“Of course, I know I would’ve done it. I can’t walk, but I can play drums [Laughs]. I don’t think Angus [Young, AC/DC guitarist] believes that, but who knows? I’d probably play it more like Phil [Rudd, longtime AC/DC drummer] does these days, not like Chris Slade did in the ’90s.”
He continued discussing his possible return to AC/DC:
“I would’ve been interested, definitely. But that’s the way it rolls, you know.”
Slade Is Still Open To Reuniting With AC/DC
More recently earlier this month, Slade again spoke about rejoining AC/DC in a chat with Real Music With Gary. When asked if he’d like to play with them again, he said:
“Yes, I would. I would.”
The drummer added:
“I’m still playing with ‘The Chris Slade Timeline.’ I’m playing every week. We do gigs. Last Saturday we were in France, in Lyon. In two weeks’ time, we go to Italy. We were in Poland about two months ago, Chechnya, Eastern Germany. We work all over Europe. We were in Spain a couple of years ago. We haven’t been back since. And so I’m playing with my guys, and I’m quite happy to do that. It’s a really, really great band. And there’s no need for me to go back with AC/DC, to be honest, but if they wanted, Angus knows he could ask me any time.”
Slade joined AC/DC after Simon Wright and played on ‘The Razor’s Edge.’ When Phill Rudd returned in 1995, Slade was let go and felt bad about it for a while.
You can watch the rest of Slade’s interview below.